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CPT 68362: Conjunctival Flap (Free) Creation

CPT code 68362 documents the surgical creation of a free conjunctival flap used to cover defects on the ocular surface. This procedure is significant for ophthalmic surgeons and payers because it addresses complex ocular surface wounds and reconstructions that can impact visual outcomes and downstream care utilization. Nationally, accurate coding of conjunctival grafting supports appropriate claims processing and clinical registries for ophthalmic reconstructive procedures.

Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for the procedure, typical sites of service, and which payers commonly reimburse for ophthalmic surgical services. The publication summarizes benchmark considerations, coding guidance context, and policy updates relevant to CPT code 68362, while also noting areas where input data are not available. Intended audiences include billing managers, ophthalmic surgeons, practice administrators, and policy analysts seeking a clear national overview of this reconstructive ocular procedure and its billing implications.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 68362 describes the creation of a conjunctival flap, a flap of free conjunctival tissue (the tissue that covers the inside of the eyelids and the eyeball) used to cover another site. This procedure is an ocular reconstructive/plastic surgery technique performed to provide tissue coverage for defects or wounds on the ocular surface.

Service type: Surgical — conjunctival graft/flap creation
Typical site of service: Operative setting such as an outpatient ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room where ophthalmic surgical procedures are performed.

Data not available in the input.

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CPT 68362: Conjunctival Flap (Free) Creation

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical — conjunctival graft/flap creation
Typical site of service: Operative setting such as an outpatient ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room where ophthalmic surgical procedures are performed.

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 62-year-old patient presents to an ophthalmology clinic with progressive conjunctival scarring and a localized conjunctival defect following excision of an ocular surface tumor. The surgeon plans a conjunctival autograft: creating a flap of free conjunctival tissue to cover the defect and restore ocular surface integrity. The procedure is performed in an outpatient ophthalmic surgical suite under monitored anesthesia care or local anesthesia with sedation. Preoperative steps include informed consent, antiseptic prep, topical anesthetic, and marking the donor site. Intraoperative workflow includes harvesting a free conjunctival flap, securing the graft to the recipient bed with fine absorbable sutures or fibrin glue, ensuring graft orientation, and placing a protective patch or shield. Postoperative care includes topical antibiotics and steroids, patch removal instructions, short-term follow-up within 24–72 hours for graft check, and subsequent visits to monitor healing and visual function. Typical payors include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, BUCA, and Medicare.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, or complexity substantially exceeds typical for `68362` (attach supporting documentation).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically necessary for this ophthalmic procedure instead of local/regional.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician professional component separated from technical facility services.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when identical conjunctival graft procedures are performed on both eyes during the same operative session.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `68362` is performed in the same session with other distinct surgical procedures (list primary and apply modifier to additional).
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when billing only for the intraoperative surgical portion and another provider bills pre/postoperative care.
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when another provider billed the surgical portion and you bill for postoperative care.
`58`	Staged or related procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when `68362` is planned as a staged reconstructive procedure following an initial operation.
`78`	Return to operating room for related procedure during the postoperative period	Use when a related reoperation is required during the global period.
`59`	Distinct procedural service (Note: not in raw list but standard; omitted per input restrictions)	Data not available in the input.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207W00000X	Ophthalmology	Primary specialty performing conjunctival grafting and ocular surface reconstruction.
207WA0400X	Cornea and External Disease	Subspecialists managing complex ocular surface disease and conjunctival autografts.
2080P0206X	Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery	Oculoplastic surgeons performing conjunctival reconstruction in periocular or fornix defects.
2086S0126X	Surgical Ophthalmology	Surgeons focusing on ocular surgery where conjunctival grafts may be used.
363L00000X	General Practice (Ophthalmic)	General ophthalmologists performing routine conjunctival graft procedures.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`H11.09`	Other conjunctival degenerations	Conjunctival grafting may be required to repair degenerative defects affecting the ocular surface.
`D49.2`	Neoplasm of eye, unspecified (use more specific codes when available)	Excision of ocular surface tumors can create conjunctival defects needing graft coverage.
`H11.339`	Conjunctival scarring, unspecified eye	Scarring can cause symblepharon or defects that require free conjunctival tissue for reconstruction.
`H11.39`	Other conjunctival disorders	Broad category covering inflammatory or traumatic defects addressed with conjunctival grafts.
`S05.91XA`	Unspecified injury of eye and orbit, initial encounter	Traumatic conjunctival loss or defects from injury may be repaired with conjunctival flaps.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`68362`	Creation of a flap of free conjunctival tissue used to cover another site (conjunctival autograft)	Primary procedure to harvest and transplant conjunctival tissue to reconstruct ocular surface defects.
`66010`	Excision or biopsy of conjunctiva; simple	Performed when an incisional or excisional biopsy precedes grafting to remove a lesion.
`68240`	Excision of lesion of eyelid, including full-thickness excision and repair	May be performed when adjacent eyelid lesions require removal prior to conjunctival reconstruction.
`67800`	Repair of conjunctival defects; simple closure	Used for smaller conjunctival closures that may be performed instead of or prior to autograft.
`65570`	Repair of fornix or conjunctival reconstruction, extensive (including mucous membrane graft)	Used for more extensive reconstructions; `68362` may be an alternative for localized defects.
`99024`	Postoperative follow-up visit, related to the surgical procedure during the global period	Used to bill routine postoperative follow-up visits related to `68362` when payer allows separate billing.

CPT 68360: Conjunctival Free Flap to Cover Adjacent Defect

CPT-68371-CONJUNCTIVAL-ALLOGRAFT-HARVEST

CPT 68371: Conjunctival Allograft Harvest

CPT-68399-UNLISTED-OPHTHALMIC-PROCEDURE

CPT 68399: Unlisted Ophthalmic Procedure

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, or complexity substantially exceeds typical for `68362` (attach supporting documentation).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically necessary for this ophthalmic procedure instead of local/regional.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician professional component separated from technical facility services.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when identical conjunctival graft procedures are performed on both eyes during the same operative session.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `68362` is performed in the same session with other distinct surgical procedures (list primary and apply modifier to additional).
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when billing only for the intraoperative surgical portion and another provider bills pre/postoperative care.
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when another provider billed the surgical portion and you bill for postoperative care.
`58`	Staged or related procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when `68362` is planned as a staged reconstructive procedure following an initial operation.
`78`	Return to operating room for related procedure during the postoperative period	Use when a related reoperation is required during the global period.
`59`	Distinct procedural service (Note: not in raw list but standard; omitted per input restrictions)	Data not available in the input.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207W00000X	Ophthalmology	Primary specialty performing conjunctival grafting and ocular surface reconstruction.
207WA0400X	Cornea and External Disease	Subspecialists managing complex ocular surface disease and conjunctival autografts.
2080P0206X	Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery	Oculoplastic surgeons performing conjunctival reconstruction in periocular or fornix defects.
2086S0126X	Surgical Ophthalmology	Surgeons focusing on ocular surgery where conjunctival grafts may be used.
363L00000X	General Practice (Ophthalmic)	General ophthalmologists performing routine conjunctival graft procedures.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`H11.09`	Other conjunctival degenerations	Conjunctival grafting may be required to repair degenerative defects affecting the ocular surface.
`D49.2`	Neoplasm of eye, unspecified (use more specific codes when available)	Excision of ocular surface tumors can create conjunctival defects needing graft coverage.
`H11.339`	Conjunctival scarring, unspecified eye	Scarring can cause symblepharon or defects that require free conjunctival tissue for reconstruction.
`H11.39`	Other conjunctival disorders	Broad category covering inflammatory or traumatic defects addressed with conjunctival grafts.
`S05.91XA`	Unspecified injury of eye and orbit, initial encounter	Traumatic conjunctival loss or defects from injury may be repaired with conjunctival flaps.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`68362`	Creation of a flap of free conjunctival tissue used to cover another site (conjunctival autograft)	Primary procedure to harvest and transplant conjunctival tissue to reconstruct ocular surface defects.
`66010`	Excision or biopsy of conjunctiva; simple	Performed when an incisional or excisional biopsy precedes grafting to remove a lesion.
`68240`	Excision of lesion of eyelid, including full-thickness excision and repair	May be performed when adjacent eyelid lesions require removal prior to conjunctival reconstruction.
`67800`	Repair of conjunctival defects; simple closure	Used for smaller conjunctival closures that may be performed instead of or prior to autograft.
`65570`	Repair of fornix or conjunctival reconstruction, extensive (including mucous membrane graft)	Used for more extensive reconstructions; `68362` may be an alternative for localized defects.
`99024`	Postoperative follow-up visit, related to the surgical procedure during the global period	Used to bill routine postoperative follow-up visits related to `68362` when payer allows separate billing.

CPT 68360: Conjunctival Free Flap to Cover Adjacent Defect

CPT-68371-CONJUNCTIVAL-ALLOGRAFT-HARVEST

CPT 68371: Conjunctival Allograft Harvest

CPT-68399-UNLISTED-OPHTHALMIC-PROCEDURE

CPT 68399: Unlisted Ophthalmic Procedure

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

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CPT 68362: Conjunctival Flap (Free) Creation

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Billing Code Overview

OpenPayer

CPT 68362: Conjunctival Flap (Free) Creation

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

CPT 68362: Conjunctival Flap (Free) Creation

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Billing Code Overview

CPT 68362: Conjunctival Flap (Free) Creation

Sign up for cpt 68362 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 68362 represent and when is it typically performed?

What are the typical perioperative steps and anesthesia settings described for this procedure?

Which CPT modifiers are noted as potentially applicable to 68362 and when would they be used?

What related CPT codes are listed and how do they relate to 68362?

Which provider specialties and taxonomy codes are associated with performing this procedure?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 68362 represent and when is it typically performed?

What are the typical perioperative steps and anesthesia settings described for this procedure?

Which CPT modifiers are noted as potentially applicable to 68362 and when would they be used?

What related CPT codes are listed and how do they relate to 68362?

Which provider specialties and taxonomy codes are associated with performing this procedure?

References